If you're looking for a budget-friendly option that is lighter and has longer battery life, the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" might be the better choice. However, the Lenovo Slim 7 16" offers a larger, sharper display with touch capability, better performance for 3D tasks and engineering software, and improved graphics capabilities for gaming. The tradeoff is that the Slim 7 is more expensive, slightly heavier, and may not last as long on a single charge compared to the IdeaPad, which may also affect its portability. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14"
Very good portability
Very good battery life
Advantages of the Lenovo Slim 7 16
Good for general use
Good for engineering and design
Very good overall display quality
Good overall build quality
Good speakers
Very good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
6.9/10
7.7/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
313.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
500.0 nits
10.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
9.5 Hours
6.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
8.2/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Lenovo Slim 7 16 is good for general use, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" is only fair.
PerfectRec’s General Use Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for general productivity, web browsing, streaming, video calls, and running a wide variety of apps and programs.
Gaming and AI
6.0/10
6.6/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.3/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
9.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The Lenovo Slim 7 16 and Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" are both only fair for gaming and AI, though the Lenovo Slim 7 16 is somewhat better.
PerfectRec’s Gaming and AI Score strongly emphasizes graphics processing capability, while also taking into account other factors that impact suitability for gaming and AI work.
Engineering and Design
6.1/10
7.5/10
4.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.2/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.3/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Lenovo Slim 7 16 is good for engineering and design, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" is only fair.
The Lenovo Slim 7 16 outshines the IdeaPad 3 14" in engineering and design tasks mainly due to its superior AMD Ryzen 7 processor, double the RAM, and a discrete Nvidia RTX GPU, all of which provide significantly higher computation and graphics power, and its higher resolution screen enables better detail and more workspace. While the IdeaPad 3 14" maintains a level of fairness in performance with its AMD Ryzen 5 and integrated graphics, alongside a full HD screen, the Slim 7 16 further benefits from a better screen quality, though this comes with a tradeoff of being less portable and heavier.
Content Creation
7.1/10
7.6/10
4.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.2/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo Slim 7 16 and Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" are both good for content creation, though the Lenovo Slim 7 16 is somewhat better.
PerfectRec’s Content Creation Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for photo editing, video editing and other content creation tasks.
Software Development
7.1/10
7.6/10
4.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.2/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
6.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Lenovo Slim 7 16 and Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" are both good for software development, though the Lenovo Slim 7 16 is somewhat better.
PerfectRec’s Software Development Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for software developers.
Screen Quality
6.4/10
8.3/10
14.0in
SIZE
16.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
313.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
500.0 nits
The Lenovo Slim 7 16 has a better screen than the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
For general use, the Lenovo IdeaPad 3's screen provides adequate clarity and brightness, making it suitable for everyday tasks like browsing and document editing; however, the Lenovo Slim 7 offers a sharper image and superior brightness, enhancing the viewing experience for activities such as streaming videos and viewing photos. When it comes to engineering and design work, the Lenovo Slim 7 stands out with a richer color range covering various professional color gamuts, which is crucial for precision in color-critical tasks, while the IdeaPad 3 falls short, limiting its effectiveness in such professional environments. For gaming and 3D applications, both laptops face limitations due to lower refresh rates, meaning neither is ideal for fast-paced visuals that demand smoother motion and quicker response times.
Portability
Very Good
Good
14.0in
SIZE
16.0in
3.1 lbs
WEIGHT
4.6 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" has very good portability, while the Lenovo Slim 7 16 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
6.5/10
7.8/10
The Lenovo Slim 7 16 has good build quality, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" has only fair build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$490
$1,440
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" has a price of $490 and the Lenovo Slim 7 16 costs $1,440.
"The low-priced IdeaPad 3 14 delivers on core functionality. Lenovo's IdeaPad 3 14 meets all the basic requirements for an inexpensive office laptop. The matte IPS display is bright enough, the performance is high for the class, and the input devices are rock solid. In addition, the mostly quiet operation including the useful performance modes, cool surface temperatures, easy maintainability as well as expandable working and mass storage all contribute to the IdeaPad 3 14's value proposition."
"At $1,011, the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7 Pro is a real bargain among full-sized laptops, with a handsome 16-inch, 16:10 aspect ratio touch screen, a speedy CPU, a comfortable keyboard, ample memory, and a roomy solid-state drive. It's not a blazing gaming rig or mobile workstation, but it doesn't pretend to be. Its biggest negative is that it may be hard to find—during our review, it sold out and was marked "Temporarily Unavailable" on Lenovo's site."
Get a great deal on the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" or the Lenovo Slim 7 16
About Lenovo
Lenovo is a Chinese technology company, and one of the largest personal computer vendor. They are well known for a variety of technology products, including laptops. Their consumer series include their entry level IdeaPad and LOQ series and mid-to-high-end Yoga and Legion series. On the business-oriented side, their series include their entry-level ThinkBook series and mid-to-high-end ThinkPad series. Lenovo laptops offer strong performance for reasonable prices, and are often on sale.
This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec laptops team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest laptop information and makes it digestible for you.
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